Where Should We Spend Our Mod Money?

Wow, this thread seems too good to be true!!!
Bmckelvey, I have a small mill in my garage and have thought extensively about trying to make my own manifold for the M122 supercharger, this thread is a huge inspiration and confirmation that I'm not entirely mad.
Would you be willing to share any of your blueprints or cad files? I feel confident enough to measure for myself, but the thought of tearing apart my daily driver for that long scares me.
I don't really have the time to undertake this project at the moment, but would like to start gathering the pieces to make it a reality down the road. I would like to build the manifold myself, but even if I have to buy one from you, it means that I could pursue the forced induction dream later in life.
Any help, ideas, or encouragement are appreciated.

Hi Connor, I enjoy making all my own fittings, right up to making the complete manifold. And, with the M122 I even machined the base of the supercharger to provide a flat surface to mount it to the manifold. I used a multi-axis CNC machine with a CAD program that creates the control file for the CNC mill. I also have a lathe and mill machine in my garage but it is a little small for milling out a huge chunk of aluminum required for the supercharger and manifold. I am happy to share the info I have on how to do this. Send me a PM with your email or just contact me at brian_mckelvey@Hotmail.com.
Brian

I have a couple of manifolds that we made in the machine shop. I am running one with my M122 setup. They are machined from a solid block of aluminum. Then just need to add whichever adapter plate is required for the supercharger that you buy. I can even make you the idler pulley plate. The manifold is $400 and I can make you the adapter plate. Send me an email and we can discuss what you want to do and what you need. I can also send you a copy of my install document so you can see what you would need to do for an M112 or M122 supercharger setup. I also have an older document I did for an M90.
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I have a 2009 4.0 v6 mustang I have a kn&n cai and in the beginning of 2017 I am buying pypes mid x pipes dual exhaust system and bama tuner. My next upgrade after that will be turbo kit. I found out the 4.0 v6 is a cast iron block so it can handle a lot of pressure so I could run a turbo kit at 7 to 9 psi without changing my internals.

Hi everyone, I am looking to get about 2" drop to eliminate the wheel gap and wondering if the lowering springs will do the job or should I
save money for coilovers. I was reading somewhere that shock absorbers don't work properly with shorter springs and therefore don't provide good damping. Is that true?

So I did some homework and decided not to go with short springs and save for the coilovers a little more This article was pretty helpful so if you had the same question just check it out Coilovers Are Pricey - Why Would I Spend My Money For Them?. I really like the fact that coilovers are adjustable

Hi everyone, I am looking to get about 2" drop to eliminate the wheel gap and wondering if the lowering springs will do the job or should I
save money for coilovers. I was reading somewhere that shock absorbers don't work properly with shorter springs and therefore don't provide good damping. Is that true?

I thought I would start
a thread for discussion here to helping guys who are trying to decide where to spend their Mustang mod money. This is really a personal choice and based on whether you are interested in cosmetics or performance. I'm going to focus on performance because a lot of people have asked me for suggestions on what performance parts to add first.
There have also been many posts on this site and other sites asking that same question. Usually there are multiple answers and, depending on the individuals goals and available funds, give good advice. For the individuals that are looking for significant HP gains, the suggestions range from minimal, like a throttle body spacer ($90), to the extreme like a $5000 supercharger. The majority of these low cost mods (up to $300) provide minimal HP gains. When I say minimal, things like a throttle body spacer, in my opinion, won't add any performance that you can feel. Some other mods, like shorty headers, CAIs and K&N filters add some performance but again maybe in the 5-10 HP range. I think a tuner is a good investment as you can feel the difference here especially if you have an automatic and improve the shift points and firmness. Dual exhaust are a great addition, but again the 10-20 HP is expensive if the system costs you $400-600
.
Where all this preamble is going ... I would like to suggest that someone that is looking for a real performance should first look at adding "boost" to their engine that will give them 60-80 HP in one shot. The problem is that supercharger and turbocharger systems require a huge initial investment and can be a challenge for the novice car guy to install, especially a turbo where extensive exhaust and intercooler modifications are required. I am suggesting that the first mod should be a custom supercharger setup and then add the other mods as money is available, like full dual exhaust, larger throttle body, locker rear-end, gears, etc ... that will compliment the supercharger and really provide a dramatic increase. But the stumbling block to this is the initial cost of a supercharger system. So, if you are not independently wealthy, how can you do this?

I have been building turbo and supercharger systems for 4 decades (yes, I guess that makes me one of the more mature guys on this site) and in the last few years I have built six reliable supercharger setups on 4.0 SOHC engines (in Ford Rangers and Mustang). These have ranged from 256 RWHP to over 300 RWHP depending on the supercharger and amount of boost and other mods. The bottom line is the 4.0 SOHC has a lot of potential and is a solid engine. Plus, I try to keep my installs within a $1000-1500 budget. Now I know a lot of you will immediately say this is not possible ... However, I always keep track of every penny I spend. I do have an advantage because I have all the tools to make the parts I need and I can do the install myself. But there are a lot of you guys that can do the install if you had the big parts, like manifold, intake, idler support and a good set of instructions. Due to the volume of factory supercharged cars and trucks out there, you can buy a used (but in good shape) supercharger for anywhere from $250-500 on eBay or Craigslist.com! I just bought 2 for less than $400.

I have a buddy (also boosted) that has a machine shop and we are thinking of making a few 4.0 SOHC setups for the guys that want to install one of these custom setups. We will supply the hard parts like the supercharger manifold, S/C adapter plate, TB intake, idler bracket, fuel block & hoses and a few other parts. What you would have to do is get the supercharger of choice off eBay or Craigslist and some of the other pieces that you want to invest in that would be optional depending on what your HP objectives are. As an example, you could do a basic 75 HP install with just the S/C install, injectors, rewiring a couple of short connectors, re-routing some vacuum lines and the EGR tube. Leave the stock airbox, exhaust system and look at these as future investments. Then, you need to get a tune. I know there are a few guys on here that could help in that area and I have a few startup tunes from my many trips to the dyno. I can provide the .mtf files and your local guy can save them with your specific ECU name so that they can be loaded to your ECU. Or you can just run to your local dyno shop and have them optimize your ECU settings.

What are comments from the other experts here and if anyone is interested send me an email. We are not in this as a business or to make money, we are going to provide this stuff at our cost!! I will also give complete install documents and maybe even some videos to help with the install.

Please feel free to comment and if there are guys out there that want to help with some stuff or that can assist by providing tunes or whatever just jump in here. Suggestions or concerns that you want to express are welcome.

I thought I would start
a thread for discussion here to helping guys who are trying to decide where to spend their Mustang mod money. This is really a personal choice and based on whether you are interested in cosmetics or performance. I'm going to focus on performance because a lot of people have asked me for suggestions on what performance parts to add first.
There have also been many posts on this site and other sites asking that same question. Usually there are multiple answers and, depending on the individuals goals and available funds, give good advice. For the individuals that are looking for significant HP gains, the suggestions range from minimal, like a throttle body spacer ($90), to the extreme like a $5000 supercharger. The majority of these low cost mods (up to $300) provide minimal HP gains. When I say minimal, things like a throttle body spacer, in my opinion, won't add any performance that you can feel. Some other mods, like shorty headers, CAIs and K&N filters add some performance but again maybe in the 5-10 HP range. I think a tuner is a good investment as you can feel the difference here especially if you have an automatic and improve the shift points and firmness. Dual exhaust are a great addition, but again the 10-20 HP is expensive if the system costs you $400-600
.
Where all this preamble is going ... I would like to suggest that someone that is looking for a real performance should first look at adding "boost" to their engine that will give them 60-80 HP in one shot. The problem is that supercharger and turbocharger systems require a huge initial investment and can be a challenge for the novice car guy to install, especially a turbo where extensive exhaust and intercooler modifications are required. I am suggesting that the first mod should be a custom supercharger setup and then add the other mods as money is available, like full dual exhaust, larger throttle body, locker rear-end, gears, etc ... that will compliment the supercharger and really provide a dramatic increase. But the stumbling block to this is the initial cost of a supercharger system. So, if you are not independently wealthy, how can you do this?

I have been building turbo and supercharger systems for 4 decades (yes, I guess that makes me one of the more mature guys on this site) and in the last few years I have built six reliable supercharger setups on 4.0 SOHC engines (in Ford Rangers and Mustang). These have ranged from 256 RWHP to over 300 RWHP depending on the supercharger and amount of boost and other mods. The bottom line is the 4.0 SOHC has a lot of potential and is a solid engine. Plus, I try to keep my installs within a $1000-1500 budget. Now I know a lot of you will immediately say this is not possible ... However, I always keep track of every penny I spend. I do have an advantage because I have all the tools to make the parts I need and I can do the install myself. But there are a lot of you guys that can do the install if you had the big parts, like manifold, intake, idler support and a good set of instructions. Due to the volume of factory supercharged cars and trucks out there, you can buy a used (but in good shape) supercharger for anywhere from $250-500 on eBay or Craigslist.com! I just bought 2 for less than $400.

I have a buddy (also boosted) that has a machine shop and we are thinking of making a few 4.0 SOHC setups for the guys that want to install one of these custom setups. We will supply the hard parts like the supercharger manifold, S/C adapter plate, TB intake, idler bracket, fuel block & hoses and a few other parts. What you would have to do is get the supercharger of choice off eBay or Craigslist and some of the other pieces that you want to invest in that would be optional depending on what your HP objectives are. As an example, you could do a basic 75 HP install with just the S/C install, injectors, rewiring a couple of short connectors, re-routing some vacuum lines and the EGR tube. Leave the stock airbox, exhaust system and look at these as future investments. Then, you need to get a tune. I know there are a few guys on here that could help in that area and I have a few startup tunes from my many trips to the dyno. I can provide the .mtf files and your local guy can save them with your specific ECU name so that they can be loaded to your ECU. Or you can just run to your local dyno shop and have them optimize your ECU settings.

What are comments from the other experts here and if anyone is interested send me an email. We are not in this as a business or to make money, we are going to provide this stuff at our cost!! I will also give complete install documents and maybe even some videos to help with the install.

Please feel free to comment and if there are guys out there that want to help with some stuff or that can assist by providing tunes or whatever just jump in here. Suggestions or concerns that you want to express are welcome.

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How can I talk to you about putting a supercharger on my car I have never done anything like this before